Violence Against Women & Femicide
Every woman has the right to be free from violence in all aspects of life.
Challenges
Women in Central America and Mexico are triply discriminated against: for being women, for being poor, and often, for being Indigenous or of African descent. Across the Mesoamerican region, women have reduced access to education, health care, employment and land ownership. A patriarchal culture, combined with criminal networks and gangs has allowed gender-based violence to cut across boundaries of class, age and ethnicity. Local authorities consistently fail to prevent or prosecute rape, abuse, harassment, forced prostitution and femicide – the systematic killing of women based on their gender.
What We Do
Horizons of Friendship partners with women and Indigenous-led organizations that working to end violence against women and femicide in the region. Together with our partners, we help promote women’s rights and the complete elimination of violence against women in the public and private spheres. Horizons works to strengthen women’s self empowerment and increase citizen pressure on governments to adopt appropriate policies.
Horizons is committed to:
Training community promoters to lead prevention initiatives among grassroots populations in Mesoamerica,
Supporting access to justice for female victims of violence,
Funding research and studies providing hard data on incidences of violence across the region.